MORE NEWS, 7-23 (A SOLAR CITY SUCCESS; FLY BIOFUELS, DON’T DRIVE THEM; MINNESOTA IS RICH WITH THE NORTH WINDS)

A SOLAR CITY SUCCESS
Solar Incentives in S.F. Show How Smart Green Investments Pay Off
Gavin Newsome, July 13, 2009 (GreenBiz via Reuters)

"…Last July, the City and County of San Francisco launched the first local solar energy incentive program in the nation. The results are in and the program is an unequivocal success.

"…[Since] GoSolarSF launched, we have seen a 450 percent increase in applications for solar installations in San Francisco over the previous year, from 200 to 850. And despite the current recession, 56 applicants met our low-income standards and will receive incentive payments."

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"…[N]onprofit and affordable housing organizations are going solar too. Just last week… a local affordable housing developer, our San Francisco Housing Authority and our San Francisco Public Utilities Commission [announced] three new solar installations…

"The dramatic increase in solar installations in San Francisco over the last year, coupled with the City’s aggressive plans to deploy large-scale solar on municipal properties like the mammoth Sunset Reservoir, have helped catapult San Francisco to state leadership in solar power and renewable energy…just behind much larger and much sunnier Los Angeles and San Diego, in number of rooftop solar installations…On a per-capita basis, San Francisco leads the state’s large cities for rooftop solar."

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"The good work to create this program started with our local Solar Energy Task Force, chaired by our Assessor Phil Ting…This year, we’ve managed to fund GoSolarSF at an even higher level despite a very tough budget year. That’s because making clean energy and the environment a priority is also good for San Francisco’s economy. Every solar installation incentivized creates good green jobs…low-income City residents who graduate from our workforce development programs.

"By any measure, our solar energy incentive program has been a stellar success after just one year. If we continue making smart investments guided by the right priorities, imagine what we can do for our economy and our environment…"


FLY BIOFUELS, DON’T DRIVE THEM
Planes 'should fly on biofuels'

"Biofuel research should focus on planes and not cars, the think tank Policy Exchange has said…A crop area the size of the USA would be needed to biofuel all the world's cars and alternatives, such as electricity, exist for them…Instead, it said the EU should fund research into using plant-based fuel for aviation to help cut emissions.

"Sceptics say some biofuels create more carbon than they save and push up the price of food for the poor…Most biofuels are derived from crops such as corn, sugarcane and rapeseed…Bioethanol is usually mixed with petrol, while biodiesel is either used on its own or in a mixture… 25% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transport."

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"In April 2008, [the UK government] revised its target from 5% [required biofuels to 2.5%]…The EU also changed its stipulation [from 10%] of transport fuel…instead saying the targets could be met by any renewable source, including fuel cells, hydrogen or solar power.

"Policy Exchange has previously said the government should spend its £550m annual biofuel subsidies on halting the destruction of rainforests and peatland…Now the centre-right think tank says the EU should switch policy to subsidising development of biofuels for aviation because planes cannot run on other sources of energy."

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"Airlines including Virgin Atlantic have trialled flights using up to 20% biofuel to power the engines…Policy Exchange claims using biofuels is the only way in the foreseeable future to meet people's desire to travel without escalating emissions of greenhouse gases. Airlines should be mandated to blend biofuel with kerosene in increasing quantities from 2020…By this time new generation crop-based fuels should have been developed which do not compete with food crops.

"Green groups have been critical of the destruction of rainforest to create the fuels and the resultant loss of habitat for rare species…They also say that with more farmland being turned over to grow profitable biofuels, food production has fallen and pushed up global prices, affecting supplies for the poorest people…"


MINNESOTA IS RICH WITH THE NORTH WINDS
Report: Minnesota should capitalize on wind energy
Brianna Bierschbach, July 21, 2009 (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

"Minnesota can capitalize on wind energy and spark job growth in a down economy with the right amount of government support, according to a recent report by think tank Minnesota 2020.

"Minnesota, the fourth largest provider of wind energy in the nation, could create more than 2,200 jobs and generate about $9 billion in economic development over the next several decades by constructing 4,059 megawatts of wind generated power."

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"A good portion of the jobs created would be in the manufacturing sector…an industry that has been hit hard during the recession.

"In order to achieve this…Minnesota should focus on localizing wind turbine building and ownership, which has a greater impact on stimulating local economy."

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"Since 2005, Minnesota rapidly increased its wind capacity, growing by about 31 percent each year.

"Minnesota…legislation mandates that utilities…must generate 25 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2025, much of which can come from wind power…"